Tom Powers: Gophers' Kill-vs-Barker situation a big mess

Minnesota head coach Jurry Kill yelling encouragement to his team in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Golden Gophers upset the Iowa Hawkeyes 22-21 at Minneapolis Saturday afternoon October 29, 2011. (Pioneer Press: John Doman)

It's difficult to see the Bierman Building these days as it is obscured by dirty laundry on all four sides. Ex-Gopher A.J. Barker is making the rounds on local talk radio like a distraught reality-show star pleading his case after a messy divorce. I think Dr. Phil might be getting ready for an intervention.

Over at the football offices, a seemingly incredulous Jerry Kill noted that he treated Barker no differently than he treats his own two daughters, which at the very least ought to earn him a visit from Social Services. That was a bad analogy coming from a loud, gruff, occasionally profane football coach. Is "Daddy Dearest" coming to a big screen near you?

Bronko Nagurski must be turning over in his grave.

This has been an embarrassing couple of days for the football program. Most people have a tendency to take sides when such a nasty dispute becomes public. But this one just makes me feel creepy. It's like being forced to eavesdrop on what should have been a private conversation.

And it should have been a conversation. It seems to me that if you're going claim mistreatment and quit, you should deliver that message face to face. A 4,000-word on-line rant might provide much needed therapy, but a man-to-man talk should have come first. Quitting by e-mail is just wrong. Unless you work for Kim Jong Un.

But it's surprising there haven't been more blowups like this in an era of social media.

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Usually, when an athlete gets a DUI or is busted for carrying a bazooka through an airport, he or she tweets: "Thanks to all my fans for the love and support!" Then there's often a little smiley face at the end. I like that. Save the details for the judge.

Barker may have set the social media gold standard for disgruntled athletes. The big question is whether he really was mistreated or if he simply was unable to handle his coach's use of football psychology 101. You know: tear a guy down and then build him up. It's that whole military thing, and it happens every day in every program.

I don't know Kill that well. But my experience with football coaches is that they rarely engage in anything sinister because they just aren't that complicated as individuals. Peel back the outer layer of Xs and Os and, lo and behold, you'll find more Xs and Os inside. Most football coaches aren't deep enough to engage in subterfuge.

That still can be a problem. Kill noted Monday that he treats everybody the same. Everyone should be subject to the same rules and regulations, of course. But people respond differently and need to be handled accordingly. Some guys need a kick in the behind and some need a pat on the back. Clearly, Barker did not respond well at all to a kick in the behind.

You know who I blame for all of this? The Purdue kid who tackled Barker in the end zone. That was a dirty tackle, and I'm surprised more wasn't made of it at the time. No penalty was called. But Barker was well into the end zone and clearly had begun to relax when he was hit from behind. That's when he got hurt. And if he hadn't gotten hurt, none of this would have happened.

Anyway, athletics director Norwood Teague should at least investigate to make sure there was no mistreatment. That's the proper thing to do, right? Just play it by the book to ward off future lawsuits. Then, if everything checks out, the Gophers can put this ugly public display behind them.

This was like a dust-up spilling from a local tavern onto the street corner. And for pedestrians, there was no alternate route.

Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill looks watches during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 31-13. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)